Recent reviews by Rob-P

They listened this time:
1) Campaign
2) Great maps and team play like BF-4 (with classes)
3) Server browser and Scoreboard
4) Get as far as way as BF 2042 as possible, and don't be CoD.

27 Nov: The more I play it, the better the game gets.

Pros:
1) PC: Works on Win-10
2) Graphics pretty good
3) Enjoyable Tower Defense
4) You get 3 profiles (I assume that 3 people can play the same game on the same PC if desired)
5) Small SW install size, playable on a "toaster" (low end PC) Don't need an NVIDIA 4090 :p
------ Remember, this was released in 2015.
6) Got it on sale, so it was a GREAT value in the Steam Store

Cons:
1) In-game Clicking: To pick up coins and resources to build towers
------ This is like a mobile game, and I just don't like it. I prefer "turn based" games where you get stages to upgrade towers.
2) Tutorial: It's ok, but it doesn't describe all aspects of the game (upgrades, etc).
------ I used YouTube videos to help with understanding the game a bit better.
3) Plot: A bit thin (and this isn't a big negative)
------ I bought this for the Tower Defense, not the plot, so this is a VERY MINOR negative.
4) Quit (on button labels)
------ This may be an English translation issue. The word "Quit" is used in the place of "Back" at times.
------ You may want to halt the game and restart. You hit "Quit" (which is true) but you just go back to the prior screen (so you can start again). I guess that it simplifies the game to use the same word in various places, I don't know.
5) Screen/View: (out of visible area at times)
------ There are several battles where the "money" towers are out of view. You need to "click the coins" to get the money to upgrade your tower, BUT, the battle is on the top of the screen, where you need to click for "gold coins" (which you use for non-tower boosts (brick walls, mines, sat laser beam, etc). There should be a way to size the whole map so it "fits" on your monitor, versus needless scrolling. This is just more "busy work" like clicking coins. It can be annoying. Maybe this similar to Con #2 (mobile style game play).

Disclosure: I have only made it to Level-8, and not completed the game yet. I will post and update once I have completed it.

*Pros:*
---------
Simple, old style 2-D shooter (this is exactly what they were like)
Easy to pick up and play
Any PC can play it (you can play it on a toaster)
Game SW/File size is small (see Toaster above)
5-Card Game Card Set (reason I bought it was to get the cards)
-------- I got 6 cardd drop in the 5+ hours I played it (1 card/hour)
-------- Minimally, I'd need to play 25+ hours (5 cards/badge * 5 badges).
-------- This is of course with the low probability I got no duplicate cards
Cheesy voice Lines: [This could be a "con" to some]
------ "No time to bleed"
------ "You want to kill me?? Try it M-Fer"
------ "You want my head? Go on and take it"
------ "Bullets, Bullets, Bullets ... Bullets everywhere"
------ "Smile M-Fer"
------ "Make my day A-holes"
------ "Catch{?} this B-tch"
------ "die, die, die"
------ "You are the disease, and I'm the medicine"
------ "Die you dumb F--"
------ "Die you creep"
------ "I found my boomstick(?)"

*Cons:*
----------
No ability to change key bindings [This is my biggest complaint]
------ I'd really like L-Mouse (shoot), and Spacebar (jump)
Repetitive, Tedious, and at times Frustrating - Like these 90's games were.
------ Level-7 (and others) are a lot of "jump timing"
Old style (low res) graphics
Falling to your death because you need to "squat" a lot to see what is below you.
------ Even with the squatting, things are still not visible below (or to the sides). Gotcha.
------ You find crumbling floors once you encounter them, NOT in the tutorial. Gotcha!
Swearing/Cursing: I think it's a bit over done and needless.
------- However, there is a "parental controls" mode, where the cursing is eliminated.
------- Notice: all the curses are at the end of the voice line. They just get truncated.
The Bosses are "gotchas" in timing and tedium.

This is a very cute and funny game that satirizes a very serious topic.
It's a wonderful Tower Defense Strategy game.
I highly recommend this game and I appreciate the hours of enjoyment I have gotten from it.
I hope there is a update in the future (it needs a "full screen mode" so with multiple monitors you don't scroll off the edge of the play area).
I definitely would be willing to pay some $$$ for updates, etc.

1) This game is classic
2) Many newer games still don't have all the things this game has, even at 10 years old
3) A Toaster can run it (you don't need a RTX2080Ti for it)
4) The community is great, passionate, and loyal

Pros:

• Hearts: Accumulate hearts as "extra lives" when you may need to guess
  
• Background: Very attractive themes (e.g., Doctor Who)
  
• Colors: The board's color changes as well as text in the squares
  
• Right Click: Using a right-click on a square allows you to uncover adjacent squares when you've isloated a solution. This aids in removing some "human error" scenarios once the player has fixed a solution for a square.

Cons:

• Achievements: Some of the achievements are luck based, but you can still get them by grinding away enough.
  
• Colors: At times, the game picks some colors that don't contrast well. However, you can resolve this by completing the board, or just restarting your progress.

Overall, I high recommend this game if you liked the original. It is so much improved over the original version that came bundled with Windows.

Love the Game!

Pros:
1) Artwork/graphics
2) Replay of levels (I enjoy the replayabilty and improving my gold haul)
3) Various combinations to upgrade your buggy & 3-levels per upgrade.
4) Smooth game-play
5) Achivements are not impossible (nor luck based).

FAVORITE POWER-UP: Love Bug.
- Honorable mention: double Damage

Cons:
1) In Keyboard/mouse-mode the keyboard controls are very responsive. You need to get used to maneuvering the buggy.
2) Cursor: Can't change the cursor color or shape
3) Power-up: The drops type (rapid fire, double damage, unstopable, Love Bug, etc) seem to be random (but maybe I don't know how to get the drop to be what I want)
4) BOSS: Sometimes it's hard to figure out what is required to defeat the boss. It requires a Google search to watch a viedo to understand. There should be some in-game explaination of the triggering/weakness required for defating the boss (e.g., "shoot at the tiny yellow wheels", etc)

Overall, this is a wonderful game. The game allows the player to customize the buggy in various ways which leads to experimenting and tuning the game to a player's style (Is your play style to shoot, or ram enemy cars? Do you prefer fine tune shooting, or a space/scatter shot approach that doesn't require precision?)

How much is expected from a game that, after discount, cost: $0.43 (43 cents USD)?

Pros:
- Never played anything like this before
- The "challenge" to this game is overcoming the really awkard controls
- The AI is relatively forgiving. In some levels you just need to be partly into the space for it to count as being parked. Also, with the trailer (level-25 to 35), it is allowed to 'gently graze' some obstacles.
- At Level 35 you lose the trailer, and it's just the car again. :)
- You do NOT need to COMPLETE Level-50 to get the last Achievement, just get to Level-50.


Cons:
- Controls: For a PC, this is awful. "W" (move), "S" (Stop), and turn a Steering Wheel with your mouse, also shift Forward/Reverse on a lever.
- You drive without regard to arrows on the ground. See Map-9.
- The Default position is "Reverse". If you forget this fact, you usually immediately back into an obstacle and have to restart.
- POV: 3rd Person (over-head) not 1st Person.
- Harder level (after 25), you have a trailer attached to your car. However, to park the car, you may at times have the trailer blocking the remainder of the parking lot.
- Inconsistent Rating of difficulty: Level-34 has the 3-Star parking spot as a relatively easy achievement with the trailer. However, Level-33, in comparison, the 3-Star parking space is far more difficult to get to (if at all).
- Field of View: At times (on a PC) you can see the entire parking lot. Other times, only a portion of it, so you start out and need to hunt for where the parking spaces are located. This makes you have to re-try the level at least once (1 time to figure out where the parking spaces with the *Stars* are acutally located, then 2nd time to try to actually park the car).
- Deceleration: No car, moving this slowly, takes this long to stop. Brakes on a real car far outpower the engine, etc and make a car stop very rapidly (instantaneously at these simulated slow speeds).

Reccomendation/My Motivation:
Why am I even going to recommend and continue to play this game? ONE REASON: To the "All Achievements Completed" (100%) as a stat that gets posted on my Steam Profile. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend this game. It's just more of the same over and over.

UPDATE: Thumbs-down. The game added MANY achievements. Not worth playing at all now.

This BETA has a lot of potential. I have never played SMITE, so I'm coming at this from a TF2 point of view. Also, I'm not going to compare it to Overwatch, since I don't play that either.






UPDATE:
Pros:

1. Good Game play
   
2. Good characters (Champions)
   
3. Lots of potential to become a TF2-like game
   
4. Artwork is good
   
5. Allows text chat with team
   
6. Sales and promotions while in BETA

Cons:

1. Client crashes (it is in BETA)
   
2. Still buff and nerf-ing characters to balance play (meaning your fav. champion may not be the same in a month or so)
   
3. No voice chat to team (there is only so much you can type into the team text chat in a timely manner)
   
4. Matchmaking still is not that balanced
   
5. Attempting to motivate or dissuade players from playing off Character
   
   • Example: a Frontline Champion should work to "capture the point", not play a Flanking style.
     
   • However, the game does highlight champions that fulfill their role (highlight reel at game end).

=========================================================
Original Post


Pros: (for a BETA)
Familiar game play
Good selection of characters
Several maps (I've played at least 3 so far)
No long/endless games/episodes (think "Powerhouse" in TF2 that could last for DAYS)
Steam Founders Packs (unlocks a lot of loot)
Tip of the hat for skins for Barik (e.g., engineer) from TF2-look


Cons:
Some of the characters have underpowered skills (e.g., Barik)*
Still crashes (expected in BETA)
Downtime for servers still an issue (couldn't log-in after repeated attempts early in morning US time)

*Barik:
This is the only character I've played so far. He's allowed 2 turrets (e.g., sentries in TF2 lingo).
Other shooter specific characters can easily nullify the turrets (even if you play cards that heal the turret when you are near it). The default set of cards seems a very well rounded set, and after playing up to level-5 of this character, I think the "reduced build time" card for the turrets is essential. In TF2 speak, they are similar to mini-sentries (easily dispatched). The cool down period for the turrets is 8 seconds, so after deploying the first you have at least 8 seconds before deploying the second turret. The barricade (or shield) is almost a must, used in conjunction with the turrets. Put up a shield, then you first turret quickly and in succession (since the build time of the turret and the low health of the turret compared to DPS output other players can inflict). The blunderbuss (e.g., shotgun) is a good close-in weapon, but again is not a match for an opponent with a long-range moderately powered weapon. Barik is relatively slow, so you'll be using the "rocket boost" (e.g., speed up) to get out of some places or flee a rapidly advancing adversary. I enjoy playing Barik, but in comparison to other "Pull the trigger" characters, he seems a bit outmatched. I'd like to see a bit more development of this character, and I'm sure the gameplay will be phenomenal.

Perspective: Don't think of it as Chess .. it's not.

It's chess, but it isn't (as the game notes indicate).

For the sale price on steam of $4.99, this game is fantastic.
Get it on sale, and play it. It's more than "chess" with cool pieces. You need to play it differently.